The Christianity Scam

The Christ died. On the third day he rose again from the dead. There will be a last day and he will return to judge the living and the dead.As the Bible says, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Cor. 9:22).Christ told St. Paul, “I am sending you to [the Gentiles] to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'” Acts 17b-18.He told the apostles, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matt. 28:19-20.That proclamation to “go and make disciples of all nations” remains with us today. It is the Great Commissioning — Christians, who are aliens in a foreign land passing through on the way to eternity are commanded by God to be fishers of men, to convert the world to Christianity.We should embrace all converts as they more often than those born and raised Christians have the hardest path, most difficult journey, and pay the steepest price.We must understand all that to understand the Christianity Scam.Over in South Carolina, State Representative Nikki Haley is, by birth, Sikh. According to Rep. Haley, she converted to Christianity and is now a Methodist. She attends church. She is raising her children in the Faith. She is married to a Christian man.She has spoken openly of her conversion. Her parents remain Sikh and Nikki Haley embraces the culture of her heritage and of her parents out of respect for those traditions. Her mother was the first female judge in all of India. Nikki Haley has a proud history she shares with her children.She has turned to the Lord for her salvation, but she has not turned her back on her family or her heritage.But Congressman Gresham Barrett is attacking Nikki Haley for making a conversion to Christianity and a profession of faith.Barrett, immediately into the runoff, let it be known that he was the Christian in the race. Before the runoff, Andre Bauer supporters referred to Haley as a “raghead,” and some even attacked Nikki Haley’s father for walking around town wearing his turban.Barrett continues the attack. He’s not even denying it. Reporters from Washington to South Carolina are willingly discussing that Barrett’s campaign staff is pushing the stories questioning Nikki Haley’s Christianity — questioning the sincerity of her conversion.Christ told us to go out into the world and make disciples of all mankind. Here is a woman who converted and rose to prominence and is now being attacked for that very conversion all Christians should embrace.The Barrett attacks are nothing but a Christianity scam — making himself greater and Haley less a Christian because Barrett was born into the faith (never mind that no one is really born into the faith without being born again) and Haley left the religion of her ancestors and embraced Jesus Christ as her savior. He is trying to build himself up by proclaiming her conversion inauthentic — inserting himself in the place of the Christ who alone can judge that conversion.And that is not hyperbole to say. Gresham Barrett’s campaign is openly pushing the story that Nikki Haley is not a Christian despite her statements, her church membership, the way she is raising her children, etc. And the Barrett campaign is even going beyond that. They are saying that even if Nikki Haley is a Christian, Barrett is more of a Christian because he was born into the faith and spent his life in the faith.Gresham Barrett’s campaign is devaluing that which the Lord himself commanded — making disciples of all nations.Gresham Barrett and his Christian supporters who push this attack should be ashamed of themselves.Who are we to know the hearts of men, to judge the sincerity of a conversion and also to judge the sincerity of one who claims to have his whole life in love with the Lord? Who are we to judge? It is one thing to say someone proclaiming to be a Christian is not living the life of a Christian or has turned one’s back on the faith and its teachings. It is quite another to attack for political opportunism someone else’s conversion and call it into question for one’s own political gain.”I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.” Jer. 24:7 (ESV)”And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Rev. 20:12 (NIV)